Sunday, May 8, 2011

Rosedale Wines reckon they’ve put the cat among the pigeons in the Barossa with their innovative approach to wine-making and there are lots of cat words as the Aussies try to lighten up the back label. They leave the serious bit for inside the bottle.

And it is a serious wine. But a very friendly one also. You won't need a technical manual to negotiate your way through, just a glass. You won't even need a corkscrew as this has a screw cap closure.

Perhaps you should note these numbers. The alcohol is 14.5% and the price is €16.99. But I’m sure you’ve handled an ABV as high before and I can assure you it is excellent value for the price.

This highly rated beauty, one of the most inviting Cabernet Sauvignons I’ve come across in recent years, is a deep vibrant red. It is berry good on the nose, all the blacks and blues, and it has an intense palate. The full on fruit is well matched by the unobtrusive tannins and there is pleasant spice from the oak in which it has been aged for 10 months. You may well find other notes in the flavour too, plum in the fruit for instance, but I think that is enough of the technical.